Wizards receive wonderful health-related news about a key player

The Washington Wizards' decision to acquire Jared Dudley was as symbolic as it was (presumably) beneficial. Dudley spent much of last season as a stretch four, which is exactly what Washington needs.

But the 30-year-old had back surgery over the summer, erasing any chance of him entering this season at full strength. Dudley had his first full practice with the Wizards on Wednesday, and The Washington Post has the latest on how it went:

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Lineups that feature Dudley at power forward and either Marcin Gortat or Nene at center should have success on offense. He'll open up the floor and be able to switch on defense, pending the match up.

All in all, it's good to see Dudley get back into the swing of things. Washington desperately needs him if they want to reach the Eastern Conference Finals.

“I don’t even think about back pain anymore to be honest with you,” said Dudley, 30. “I love when people ask because it’s a good thing to say yes because at one point it was hard for me to sit, it was hard for me to fly, and now I can sit down all day, every day and do whatever I want.” Coach Randy Wittman remains cautious, reluctant to declare Dudley available for any exhibition contests Wednesday. Dudley said his goal is to play in Washington’s final two preseason games Oct. 21 and Oct. 23. Barring a setback, he said, he will be in uniform for the team’s regular season opener Oct. 28 in Orlando.